Under Community Review

Passolo Server

Run Passolo as a headless server for enterprise users. Remove most of the CAT functionality for GUIs, leaving file management, parsing, database, and so on. Develop a RESTful web service that extends Passolo's non-GUI localisation functionality. Third-party tools can now integrate with Passolo, manage projects, perform non-GUI localisation, synchronise with Collaboration Edition functions, etc. Full desktop versions of Passolo can also work with the Passolo server.

Many years ago I had created a Java-RMI-JNI-COM model, which was effectively a Passolo server for a client-server localisation toolkit. It worked very well. I would like to see a modern, rugged, and simple version of this; by-passing the icky RMI framework in favour of a secure and direct COM-REST interface. A Passolo server would also need to have better project management - managing many simultaneous projects (as opposed to the timeshare approach I had implemented).

Why have a Passolo server when there are other SDL tools that offer client-server or web-based translation assistance and management?

  • Passolo is ideal for software localisation, whereas WorldServer and TMS are not yet ready to handle all of our software requirements.
  • Customers may already have a significant investment in Passolo and are not willing to drop everything to switch to another, lesser,  system.
  • Platform loyalty. Customers may simply adore Passolo, even if it does have some misgivings.

I know of one customer that satisfies these three points. ;)